Racing Your Heart
by I'mHidingInPlainSight
Summary: Bella is a racer signed by the Cullens' company. Then She meets her hot pit crew. Will she be able to keep her eye on the prize or will she go for something else? Rated T for some cussing. First fanfic don't kill me.
1. Chapter 1

Full summary: Bella is a girl with a passion for racing, and no one thinks she's good enough. But one certain girl named Alice convinces her to race for Cullen Enterprises. Then she meets her hot pit team. Will she be able to keep her eye on the prize?

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Racing Your Heart

Chapter One: Tryouts

I took a deep breath and put my skull against the headrest to lower chances of cracking my head open, even in the helmet. I licked my lips and watched for the flag that would signal the pace car to head out.

I was one person out of two hundred. I was towards the back. We hadn't even started yet, and they were already underestimating me. I was one girl, verses one hundred and ninety nine guys.

The rule was that you had to finish in one of the first twenty places if you want to have any chance of getting signed. I **was **going to get signed no matter what. Potential sponsors adorned the stands.

I was in a 1993 Ferrari 512 TR. They gave me a good car because they pity me and think that I'll make a fool of myself. They would regret that. I would prove them wrong.

The green flag was waved and the pace car set out. I hit the gas and began to accelerate, following 199 other cars.

The pace car left after two laps and everyone kicked it up a notch. I floored it, literally putting the pedal to the metal.

I passed number 199 on the inside and tailed number198 until I saw a chance to slingshot past them. I think I actually heard a few people gasp when I quickly overtook number197.

And that's how the race went. Then I was passing number 19. I was amazed, grinning ear to ear. My temporary pit crew seemed proud of me whenever I stopped for tires and gas.

I started out as fast as possible, pushing the car to the limit. I was in 15th position, seeing as some cars were held up in their pit stops.

Before I knew it I was in 6th place. Then it was the last lap. I managed to get into 5th, but then it was over. The black and white checkered flag waving. I had gotten 5th place. Much better than I expected.

Everyone pulled into their pit stations and got out of their borrowed cars. My pit team helped me get out and congratulated me, treating me like I was just one of the guys. Then somebody I knew _very_ well came up and hugged me.

"Jacob?" I asked, "I didn't know you were coming."

"There's no way that I would ever let you race without me watching," He said.

"Thanks, Jacob," I replied, hugging him back again before pulling away.

"I gotta go see if I got signed." And with that I ran off.

I was next in line to see if there were any potential sponsors interested in me.

"Name?" The guy with the terrible nasal voice asked.

"Isabella Swan," I answered.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Swan. A group is interested in sponsoring you. They will meet you in room two." He said in a bored voice.

I nodded and walked down the intimidating hallway. _Room two;_ I thought when I saw the number on the door. I knocked politely, hearing voices from inside.

"Come in," a male voice sounded. I opened the door and walked inside to see two blond guys, and two girls, one with short, spiky black hair and the other soft caramel colored waves reaching just passed her shoulders. They were all very pale and had topaz tinted eyes.

"Hello," Said the older of the two guys, "We are the Cullens from Cullen Enterprises."

My jaw dropped. "_The _Cullen Enterprises, like, the people who sponsored Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán?" I asked incredulously.

They two guys laughed and the man who had first spoken said, "Yes, _the_ Cullen Enterprises."

"We want you on our team. You're an amazing racer. You covered 195 positions. The only woman among 199 men."

"Sponsoring me could ruin your reputation." I reasoned.

The spiky black haired girl spoke for the first time. "We _need _you on this team. Our reputation can be risked."

I sighed but agreed, "Okay."

Then we all left after everyone was introduced. The spiky black haired girl was Alice, the other woman was Esme. Carlisle was the older of the two guys and Jasper was the other guy.

Now it was time to fill out the paper work.

**And there you have the first chapter. By the way, in case the flags were confusing, green is start and the checkered flag means the end of the race. I know this chapter was kind of short, but please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Two: The Garage

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My fingers and wrist were aching. They had needed my signature on what seemed to be hundreds of papers and forms. I shook my wrists, trying to make them feel normal again. _Stupid dumb, moronic, retarded paperwork._

"What time do you want to come over to the garage, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Umm… around nine or ten, I guess," I answered awkwardly.

"Okay, see you then!" Alice replied.

We exchanged goodbyes and left in separate directions, Alice heading towards a bright yellow Porsche 911 Turbo and me going to my rusty old truck.

I unlocked the driver's side door and climbed in, resting my head on the steering wheel. Between driving and racing and filling out paperwork, I was practically asleep on my feet.

At this point, I was glad I had thought ahead, knowing how tired I would be. I wrestled the energy drink out of the cup holder and popped the lid, taking a long drink before putting it back and starting the car. _Rockstar is the best thing ever invented,_

I backed out of the spot and began to drive out of there, receiving several glares from men that didn't make it, as well as their idiotic girlfriends. Some of those girls though, surprised me and smiled.

I was tired. It was hot. I was ready to be home. My car broke down on the side of the road. The gas tank was still full and the battery was fine. It just didn't like me. I fiddled around with the car until it started. **(I didn't want to confuse anyone with my car- speak) **I sighed in relief and got into the driver's seat again. Then I drove home.

I pushed the key into the lock on my front door and twisted, hearing the satisfying click that signified I was home. I shoved the door open and stumbled to the kitchen. I yanked open the refrigerator and pulled out a sandwich.

I was at work pulling the saran wrap off for a number of minutes. I sank my teeth into the sandwich happily; glad to have real food in my stomach. I moved into the living room and switched on the television.

I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and began going through the channels. _Family Guy, Spongebob, Law and Order, Speak, _I stopped there, recognizing the title. I googled my brain for why it was familiar. Then it came to me. Speak the book. _I didn't know they made a movie from that_, I thought_._

I left it there and finished my sandwich. Speak turned into a great movie, it was a great book before, but the movie was just as good. I could feel myself nodding off.

_There's only so much and energy drink can do…_ And with that, I fell into a peaceful oblivion.

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I opened my eyes to a television screen that was still on and a growling stomach. _Cereal,_ I thought, _I need cereal, and after breakfast I have to go to the Cullen's garage._

I stumbled towards the kitchen and pulled a box of Lucky Charms out of the cupboard. I went to the next cupboard over and grabbed a bowl. I poured the overly sugary mix of marshmallows and chocolate into the bowl before closing the box and putting it back.

I poured milk over it and took a glance at the clock. It was around seven fifteen. I still had time but I needed to look presentable.

I shoveled the food into my mouth like a marathoner and sprinted to the tiny bathroom, stripping and turning on the water in quick succession. I stepped under the flow of hot water, letting it relax my muscles and calm my frayed nerves.

When I stepped out of the shower it was already seven forty five. I dried off with a fluffy towel and put on today's outfit: slightly ripped dark jeans, a gray shirt with a short sleeved Paramore hoodie over the top. I threw on a pair of combat boots and was out the door.

I arrived at the Cullen's humungous garage around eight thirty. And I was shocked. Alice and her husband Jasper came out to meet me when I arrived.

"Come on, Bella, it's more interesting inside," She joked. I laughed and followed her in.

"Wow," I said breathlessly.

"I told you it was more interesting on the inside," She said, "Oh! Here's your new mechanic, Bella!" She pointed to an amazingly hot guy with bronze hair. From what I could see, he was really pale. A lot like the rest of the Cullens. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt.

Alice motioned Mechanic Guy over and introduced us. "Bella, this is Edward, your mechanic, Edward, this is Bella, our new racer."

He nodded and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," He muttered in a tone that said it wasn't. I shook his hand awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you too," I answered.

"We'll leave you two to mess around with the cars," Alice said. Then she and Jasper left, leaving me with Edward.

He was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "How much do you know about cars?" He asked.

"A lot," I admitted. He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, what's that car?" He said, pointing to an orange car.

I rolled my eyes as well. "It's a SSC Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo."

He seemed surprised. "Okay then. This is the car you're going to be driving after we fix it up. What is it and how fast does it go?"

"It's a partially maimed Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, gets up to 253.19 miles per hour."

I said, "Speaking of which, can I help fix it up?"

He grinned and nodded. And that's how the rest of the day went. We fixed up the Bugatti. Not that it was anywhere near being done.

**And there you have chapter two. Review and I'll give you virtual cookies. )**


	3. Chapter 3

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Three: Coca Cola Nights

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The Bugatti Veyron was looking better. The engine was totally trashed and the outside was even worse. When I had asked what happened to the engine, Edward had only replied, "Alice's bad driving"

I had made a mental note not to accept a ride from her. If she could burn up an engine, and, from the look of the car, fold it around a tree, I had no idea what she might do to me.

We had put out an order for a new engine, and, seeing my truck, Edward offered me a "real" car.

"It's just a Lamborghini Miura. It only gets up to 179 miles per hour," He reasoned. "And we want you to get used to handling that kind of speed." I scowled, but took the keys.

The Lamborghini was an older model, around 1970, maybe. Dark blue in color and in _very_ nice shape. I took a look at the car past it and my jaw nearly hit the floor. There, just beyond the Lamborghini, was a perfectly restored '77 Nova. Black with white racing stripes.

"Do you drag race?" I asked, moving closer only to see a Noss tank. He turned a shade pinker and nodded. I whistled. I couldn't help it, it was a beautiful car.

"Do you?" He asked, bringing me back to the real world. I too, turned bright red and nodded. "Maybe we'll make it a date, some time." I turned even redder, if possible.

"Sure, actually, there's one tonight. You probably don't know where it is. Just follow me if you want to. I have to stop by my house though." He agreed whole- heartedly.

I climbed in my new car and waited for him to get into his Nova before taking off with a screech. Leaving nothing but skid marks.

I could hear Edward following me as I pulled into my driveway. I sprinted inside as he waited on the street. Working quickly, I traded today's grease splattered shirt for a tight black tank top and threw the hoodie back on, leaving it unzipped.

I rushed back out of the house and ran into my garage. I slid into the seat of my blood red 1968 firebird. Complete with Twin Turbo, V8 engine, and Noss tank. It was now Edward's turn to whistle.

I grinned, "C'mon."

He reluctantly clambered back into the Nova and followed me out. I left at a nice legal pace, not wanting to get caught before the real trouble began.

We arrived at a long, empty street. Empty of normal drivers, that is. Old muscle cars, some pieces of junk, some nicely restored, rested along the side of the road. Drivers and spectators sat right near their cars, others mingled and socialized.

All eyes were on us as Edward and I rolled onto the strip. Edward pulled up next to me and hissed, "I thought you were taking me to a real drag strip. A _legal _one."

"I said we were going to a race, I didn't say it was legal," I reasoned, "You can go now if you want."

He shook his head no, seeming angered at the idea. "Good, watch my car." He seemed puzzled now.

I got out of my car and walked to a small stand with a neon green banner hanging over it. I saw my old friend, George at the stand waiting for people to register. He smiled as soon as he saw me.

"Look, guys! Bella's back!" He shouted.

"Bella!" several guys shouted, obviously glad to see me. I grinned and laughed.

"It's nice to be back guys," I said.

"So Bells, just you? Or did you bring a friend?" George asked.

"I brought a friend. No pinks. Two people. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. The guy in the Nova."

George whistled when he saw the car. "Nice, very nice. Okay then Bells. You're signed up. Your friend too. Here ya go." He said, handing me a piece of paper and a coca cola.

"You remember!" I exclaimed.

"Of course I remember. Go knock 'em dead."

I grinned and took the stuff, heading back to my car.

"What was that about?" Edward asked.

"Oh, just some old friends," I answered. "Get in, the races start in a few minutes."

He nodded and climbed into his Nova. I followed suit and popped the lid off the old- fashioned coke bottle, taking a long swig. It was my lucky soda. I always seem to win after having some coke. The soda, not the drug.

The first few races passed in a blur. Nobody stood out. Very boring. Then they called my name and my opponent.

"Bella Swan vs. Mike Newton," George called into the megaphone. I heard cheers when they called my name and several shouts of "Bella's back!"

I pulled up onto the starting line. Mike pulled up next to me in a green Dodge Charge R/T. I scoffed and held both the brake and the gas pedal.

"Ready. Start your engines. GO!" George shouted. I released the brake and the car jumped forward with a feral roar. The car quickly and easily overtook the Charger. I laughed from the adrenaline rush and shifted into a higher gear, going even faster.

At 1/8th of a mile you can start using your noss. The track is only ¼ mile long. I hit the noss and sprang forward even more, going faster. I barely realized it when I crossed the finish line, but I did.

I hit the brake and pulled very sharply to the left, spinning half way so I was facing the track again. I grinned wolfishly as my car was surrounded by people coming to congratulate me on the win.

Edward and his car were some of those. "Want to give it a go?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" He replied.

"Clear off the strip George," I shouted above the din. "The Cullen guy wants to try to beat me!"

It was silent all of a sudden as everyone moved off the track.

"Go!" Shouted George. We were out of there like two bats out of hell. And we spent the night tearing up the strip.

**You guys made me cry when I read your reviews. Thanks everybody. )**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, guys

**Sorry, guys. This is not an update and this story is on hold until I can drag Cathy out from underneath her car and make her write something. Very sorry, everybody. Cathy got a new project –piece of junk- it is a Dodge Charger R/T she says. It's a nice car but it's all rusted and dented and in a bunch of pieces. No engine and a bunch of other stuff is missing. Cathy says she's sorry and she'll try to update.**

**-Sam**


	5. Chapter 5

I walked into my house around one in the morning, a bit tired

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Four:

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I walked into my house around one in the morning, a bit tired. I shuffled into the kitchen, only to trip on the threshold and barely catch myself on the counter. I sighed at my natural clumsiness and continued to shuffle towards the fridge.

I rummaged in the refrigerator until I found a bag of fish sticks and leftover Chinese food from last week. I tossed the Chinese into a porcelain bowl and put it in the microwave. Hit a couple of button and closed the door. The microwave started and I pulled out a frying pan and dumped a handful of fish sticks in. I flipped on the stove and jumbled them up, waiting for the Chinese food to be done.

The microwave beeped and I pulled the bowl out. I grabbed a fork and dug in. Then I remembered the fish sticks. _Shit_, I thought, running to the stove. They were practically ashes and the pan was scorched. I sighed and threw the entire pan in the trash.

I continued to eat the week old take out even though it wasn't the best at the moment. I needed to go to an actual grocery store and buy _real_ food. Of course I had basic supplies, milk, bread, pre cooked meat, apples. That kind of stuff, and junk food like Twinkies.

I added grocery shopping to my mental list. Then, knowing that I wouldn't remember come morning, I scribbled it down on a sticky note. (Post- it note) I stuck the note on the refrigerator, where I would see it, and went back to my room, collapsing on the bed and instantly falling asleep.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of a cruel alarm clock that woke up too early. Cruel, very, very cruel stupid alarm clock. I rolled out of bed, not realizing how close to the edge I was. I fell off the side and hit the hard, unforgiving floor with a bang.

I sighed and got up. If the rest of the day went like this, then I would be safer going back to bed while I still could. But I didn't. I wanted to go work on that Bugatti.

I shed my dirty clothes from last night's drag race and grabbed a pair of jeans and a deep blue v- neck shirt. I scrambled towards the bathroom and stepped in the shower, letting the lukewarm water wash over me.

I got out of the shower and dried off, sliding into the clothes quickly and putting on simple black sneakers. I grabbed the keys to my new Lamborghini and headed out the door.

I went in my garage through the back, climbing into my new car and opening the garage door. I stuck the key in and turned it, backing up. I closed the door and backed out into the street. I floored it and turned the radio up as high as it will go.

I arrived at the garage in a matter of minutes and climbed out of the car. I walked into the garage to find Edward already there, under the Bugatti.

"How's it coming?" I offered in a way of greeting.

He frowned. "It could be better, but we can't do much else until the engine comes in."

"Could be worse."

"Yeah, it definitely could be. Alice is never to drive this car again." He stated.

I laughed, "Who knows what she might do next time!"

He laughed too.

Life was simple. Wake up, eat, take shower, go to the garage, work on car, go home, eat, sleep. The Bugatti was finally done, and I got to test drive it today. I jumped out of bed and scrambled to the bathroom.

When I came out, I dressed myself in a black tank top and jean, throwing on a pair of converse and sprinting out the door.

I slid into the seat of the ancient Lamborghini and gunned it, pulling out of my parking space and I zipped out of there. I was easily going twice the legal speed.

The Cullens' garage was the same as ever, except that Edward was leaning against the door, grinning widely. And there were more cars out there. A red BMW, a yellow Porsche, a black Mercedes, and a silver Volvo.

The entire Cullen family must be here, I thought. Rosalie drove the red car, I saw her here frequently. Alice drove the yellow one, she had checked in every now and then too.

It was almost an hour before we got down to the track. I was sitting in a Bugatti Veyron. I was driving. The Cullens and a few spectators were in the stands as I drove laps. It was amazing.

I was on my twentieth lap when the left front tire began quivering oddly. My brow creased. It trembled again, almost aggressively. I was worried now, was it messed up somehow?

The entire car threw itself forward as the left front tire flew off. The Bugatti crashed violently, upside down; it rolled at least four times before colliding with a wall and spinning out, still upside down.

All the glass windows had imploded, some of the shards scratched my face and arms. Other than that, the only visible injury was my leg, which was twisted at an odd angle.

It hurt, but the adrenaline still coursing though my vein numbed most of the pain. I balled my fist and punched through the already cracked front window. I crawled out over the steering wheel.

I was about two feet away from the given up the ghost of a car when it caught fire. A tiny flame that quickly grew bigger. My eyes grew huge and I scooted away. The adrenaline rush had gone, and the pain of my broken leg hit me. I couldn't move the leg, not even the teeniest bit.

The car exploded, knocking me back at least forty feet. The world turned black.

**A/N I'm so sorry I didn't finish this sooner! I'm a pathetic author, sorry, sorry, sorry, everyone.**


	6. Chapter 6

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Six

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I was floating in between unconsciousness and consciousness. I knew that my chest hurt, but it was in the back of my mind. My leg was bent at the oddest angle. Almost pointing up.

More importantly though, was my arm. Bone splinters were poking out from it. People from the stands were rushing down to the track to investigate my fantastic wreck. Some one was kneeling by my shoulder.

I struggled to open my eyelids. With the pain of my splintered arm, it was hard to focus on anything else. I managed to open them and looked up.

"Bella! Bella are you okay?!"

I struggled my mouth open and said, "I'm fine, really."

Edward scoffed. Carlisle's face appeared next. He gently probed my leg. I hissed in pain. They both looked worried.

"You're leg is definitely broken." I rolled my eyes, as if I couldn't figure _that_ out. They grinned. Carlisle's face turned abruptly serious. "Your elbow is broken. You'll have to go to the ER. There may be some internal damage. Or internal bleeding."

I winced. That was not good. Carlisle was still talking. Oh! He was asking me a question. I should answer that.

"How much pain are you in Bella?" I shrugged. I was neutral.

"She hasn't come off the adrenalin rush, then. When it does were off though, she'll be in excruciating pain. We need to get her on some sort of pain reliever. Penicillin should be enough." He said.

"Not morphine, though. She might have a concussion." He was talking to me now. "Bella, don't go to sleep. Stay awake."

I had been drifting on the verge of sleep. "But I'm tired," I whined, stretching out the last word. Wait! I didn't whine. Whining was what two year olds did. I'm twenty one! I shouldn't be whining like a two year old!

Something slid into my arm and I flinched. Needle! Go away! I don't like needles! Rawr! Beware! I am the evil witch of the west! Oh, wait! Maybe that was the Cowardly Lion!

That was just so funny! I giggled uncontrollably. Haha! Hehe! Hoho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas and to all a good night! Santa Clause is coming to town!

I was in the big white van now. Oh no! I'm being kidnapped! They're moving my body! Never mind, it's just an ambulance. How boring. Maybe they're taking me to the mental asylum!

There coming to take me away ha-ha! They're coming to take me away! To the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time, and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, Ha-ha!

That was actually a real song. The Funny Farm, by Ray Stevens. I think that's his name anyway. Whatever.

I was so tired! More tired than when I stayed up for three days in a row watching my entire DVD set of all the seasons of CSI. I love that show! Awesomest show in the world!

The ambulance screeched to a sudden halt and the people around me yanked my stretcher out of the van and began running me towards the ER.

Carlisle was running next to the EMTs. Edward was on his other side. Alice was on my left, her husband Jasper with her.

Emmett (who was insanely funny and liked to joke around) and Rosalie (who sometimes helped in the garage) were behind the stretcher.

My family was never really close. My mom and dad got a divorce after I was born and my mom moved to sunny Phoenix. My dad stayed in Forks.

Mom got remarried and I went to Forks for a long needed trip to see Charlie. I hadn't wanted to intrude on the lovebirds. Thin walls and newlyweds didn't help.

I stayed in Forks until I graduated before going to college in New York and majoring in Physics. I like physics. Science in general, really. Proof of how things are.

So then I moved back to Phoenix, even though Renee and Phil now lived in Florida. I mostly came here to support friends. Jake had had my back through random bouts of depression and the mornings when I came in to his mechanic shop grumpy and antisocial.

He had put up with my crashing several cars and not exactly legal racing. The least I could do was move to Phoenix to help him out in the shop. We were best friends.

But I had seized this chance, and discovered more than a really rich family to sponsor my racing. I had found a family. A reason to stay. I had planned to go back to New York and get a 'real' job.

But instead, I had stayed and chased my impossible dreams. And I had found something better than I ever could have imagined. I found a real family.

It had just dawned on me, but it was true. I thought of Carlisle and Esme, so very supportive and loving. Esme was more than willing to drag us out from under cars and make us eat lunch, and Carlisle continuously patching me up after hurting myself.

Alice and Jasper, both of them encouraging. Alice had designed a blueprint for the stock car we were going to build after the Bugatti. She had wanted to make a statement. She was going to paint it purple and blue.

Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie helped in the garage and had hard to get parts rush ordered. She is very influential. And Emmett always around to offer comic relief. He made me laugh until I nearly peed myself.

And Edward. That smile that made me melt inside, his laugh that sounded like music. His eyes…his beautiful, beautiful eyes.

And I nearly blacked out again. My breathing was suddenly labored, and I was dizzy. Lightheaded.

The stretcher burst through the hospital doors. The receptionist stared, wide eyed for half a second before she told us to go to room127. They rushed me there, a doctor waiting in the room.

They shifted me to the bed and left, leaving me in the room.

The unrecognizable and unremarkable doctor looked at the Cullens. "Only family aloud in the office, please."

Carlisle opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it. "They are my family."

The doctor looked at me like the soda machine had piped up. He glanced from me to the Cullens, and shrugged.

He began probing my leg. At least I couldn't feel it. His hands pressed against my ribs. One of them moved painfully. I winced. A cold hand took mine, then. I looked over and saw a smiling Alice.

I made a genuine effort to smile back at her, but it fell flat. I was so sleepy…

The last thing I heard was, "Give her some morphine. She doesn't have a head wound. We have to reset her elbow."

A tiny pinprick and darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Six

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"We need to get her into surgery…ASAP." The doctor said.

The Cullens looked at each other worriedly. Was Bella going to be okay? A nurse cleared her throat, drawing the doctor's attention.

"We've got no free rooms. They're all filled. Unless you can stabilize her for several hours… Or you can have her air lifted to another larger hospital."

Dr. Hiles winced. "Okay, we'll wait for a while. I need a CAT scan, right away. If she has brain damage or internal bleeding, we'll have to get a helicopter in."

The nurse exited, coming back a minute later with a few EMTs. She gave them directions, and they wheeled Bella's bed out of the room down the hall. The Cullen family was worried, but helpless.

Dr. Hiles seemed to notice and directed them to the front office. "You can fill out the emergency papers, and a waiver incase she needs surgery," Said the doctor, sidestepping having to say, incase she dies.

Carlisle stepped forward and grabbed a pen. He began filling out the forms. He hesitated on a few, pausing in his frantic scrawling to ask for her phone number. Alice jumped up then.

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped through her contacts until she found Bella, and filled in the rest of her personal information. Rosalie grabbed the pen next, and began filling in medical info.

They were all unhappy; Alice had curled into Jasper's arms and cried into his shirt. Rosalie had sat on Emmett's lap and he wrapped his arms around her. Edward filled out the rest of the papers.

Then there was nothing to do but wait.

It was about twenty minutes later when Dr. Hiles summoned them back to the room they were keeping Bella in.

"There is some nerve damage in her elbow, and minor internal bleeding. Her leg is at a very bad angle. She might have a permanent limp, if she regains use of her leg." Dr. Hiles said. "We'll have to get her to another hospital."

The doctor made a few calls and told them to wait while the helicopter landed. When it finally did, they pulled Bella's stretcher in through the side door and took off again.

The Cullens exchanged glances and went out to their cars, following the helicopter to a bigger hospital, with a team of skilled surgeons, where they could operate on her leg and elbow.

Bella's POV

Waking Up

I ached all over. The silence woke me. Warmth washed over my hand, encompassed. I couldn't remember anything. I was probably waking up. Today was the day I got to drive the. . .

Yesterday's events hit me like a sledgehammer. The car…it _crashed. _Oh my god. Was I okay? Would my arm still work? Could I walk?

My eyes shot open. My real family looked down at me. I tried to swallow. My mouth was drier than paper.

I started to ask a question. "What happened?"

Alice took my other hand. Edward was holding the other one. "Bella, honey…there was a car crash. The doctors had to do three separate surgeries just to fix your shattered elbow."

My eyes widened. "How long have I been asleep?"

They exchanged glances, as though they didn't want to tell me. I narrowed my eyes at Alice. She rushed on.

"You slipped into a coma. You were out for nine weeks." She cringed.

I let go of the breath I had been holding and let my head slump back onto the pillow. Nine weeks…

My rent was overdue, I wondered if my landlady would let me make up the payments. My house wouldn't have air conditioning…or water…or light…

I'm screwed.

Edward squeezed the hand he was holding. I met his green eyes with my own simple brown ones.

"We paid your bills…for your apartment." Alice said. I smiled at her. That made my life so much easier.

"Thanks."

"Go to sleep, Bella." Edward's voice.

My eyes closed like shutters drawn down, and I slipped into nothingness. Where no reality existed.

A/N I'm so sorry it took so long to update!! I have been up to my neck in schoolwork. I'm sorry this is so short. I had writer's block. This story never really had a plot... I'm just kind of following the nonexistant plotline that isn't in my head. I never actually meant to crash Bella... I'm just crazy. No need to worry. )


	8. Chapter 8

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Seven

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

My eyes opened to a blinding light and the scent of cleaning fluids. Three weeks had been hell. But only one more until I got to go home. Home.

The Cullens had paid my rent, my water, gas and electricity. I told them I would pay them back, but they vehemently refused. I still had to be helped around, but I was fine for the most part.

That's what I thought anyway. But what does my opinion matter? There was a lot of physical recuperation to do with my arm. My leg was healing nicely, though.

The first week I was awake, they kept shooting my arm full of Novocain. The second week, I flat out refused. I didn't like that feeling. It hurt like crazy, but I ignored the pain. I could sort of move it, but not well.

I blinked as my rambling thoughts subsided. I hated hospitals. The continuous brightness bugged me. The white everything made my eyes ache. It always smells like disinfectant and sick people.

And they were always sticking needles in me. Stupid doctors.

Alice bounced into the room, happy as ever. I was glad she was here. Dressed in vibrant colors, she stood out among the never ending whiteness and lessened the ache in my eyes,

"Oh Bella! You're awake! Only another week until you get out of this place. How's your elbow doing? Can you move it?" Alice babbled.

Edward walked in a moment later. I could feel my heart flutter, and was glad that I wasn't hooked up to a heart monitor anymore. He looked like and angel.

He gave Alice an exasperated look, and she stopped jumping around like a hyper puppy. Alice looked down like a child whose hand was caught in the cookie jar.

"Hello, Bella. We need to talk to you." I was afraid. Were they going to drop me because I couldn't race? Alice looked happy though, and she wouldn't if it was bad news. My fear lessened.

Edward sat down in the chair on my left and took my hand in his. My face flushed and I looked towards Alice, who was grinning like a madman. I rolled my eyes at her, and directed my attention back to Edward.

"We were all talking about how you get out of the hospital in a week, and… we want you to come stay with us while you recuperate."

"I wouldn't want to intrude on you guys…" I was silenced with the glare Alice gave me.

She smiled suddenly, though, and said, "Well look at it this way, Bella. We wouldn't have to pay your rent anymore."

I frowned at her. That made no sense. Alice's scary look returned, and she continued. "Isabella Marie Swan," I winced. "If you do not stay with us, Rose and I will come stay with you."

My eyes widened in horror. "Looks like you guys have a new roommate."

Alice smiled again, Edward's grin mirroring hers.

These people were crazy.

**A/N Sorry this is so short, I jsut wanted to get another chapter up. School just started, and college is hectic. Sam will be writing the next few chapters so expect fluffy stuff... and possibly slower updates. She gets writer's block more often than _I _do. REVIEW IF YOU LOVE US!! If not...whatever. Review anyway.**


	9. Chapter 9

Racing Your Heart

Racing Your Heart

Chapter 8

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The Cullens' house was _big._ I mean, I knew they were pretty rich, but I certainly didn't expect a four story white Victorian era mansion. It looked perfectly restored, with trimmings that looked quite original.

Rosalie was driving ahead of us in a van that was about halfway filled with my junk. I didn't have that much stuff, just lots of books and CDs. So here I was, sitting in a silver Volvo, driving up to the humungous house that I was now living in. Oh Joy.

Alice and Edward helped me out of the car, despite my hemming and hawing and griping.

"I am perfectly capable of walking! I'm not crippled!" I yelled at them, with no avail. Edward grabbed my hand and hauled me out of the seat. Hs touch sent an electric shock up my arm, and made my heart speed up.

Alice handed me my crutches and smiled. I scowled at her and took the crutches. They helped me wobble into the house, keeping me from tripping and hurting myself any further.

I tripped on the threshold, but Edward caught me. I mumbled something about stupid doors and kept on walking. Emmett laughed at me, coming in just behind me. He must have seen me gawking at the interior of the house.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper had been carrying my stuff in. Alice was inspecting my mildly impaired wardrobe.

"Bella, half of this stuff looks like it came from Target," she griped. I looked at her.

"Most of it did." I said. She stared at me like I was crazy.

"We're going to have to take you shopping." She said. My face contorted into a mask of horror. Rose walked in, followed by Jasper.

"Did someone say shopping?" She asked happily. Jasper and Emmett laughed and Edward gave me a look of pity. I gulped.

They proceeded to drag my stuff up to the room I would be staying in. Alice helped me to the door and left me there. The guys had already set up all the stuff in there. I was scared.

I pushed open the door and peered inside. I gasped quietly. The walls were light blue with a white trim. There was a full sized bed on one wall, a nightstand next to it. An overstuffed black easy chair rested in one corner.

The weathered bookcase from my apartment sat next to the chair. My stereo was on a table, the CDs neatly stacked against it.

The best part was the view. A huge window was on the back wall, made to let in light. The window overlooked a beautiful garden in the backyard. The garden bloomed with brightly colored flowers.

I recognized a few from Renee's gardening spree. The roses were obvious. But I also saw Gardenias, buttercups, daisies, lavender, jasmine, and orchids. I caught my breath when I saw one of my absolute favorite flowers.

Multiple vines of Wisteria were growing outside my window. I smiled to myself. This was the only flower I could grow successfully.

Wisteria blooms are tiny purple-blue flowers. They are slightly bell shaped and grow from a vine, one of ten species in the US. They are similar to violas in looks. The Latin name for this particular species is _Wisteria venusta. _

Oh bite me. I have an undergraduate degree in biology. I stumbled over to the bed and plopped down on the mattress. As much as I hated to admit it, this beat staying at home.

My apartment was great. I knew where everything was supposed to be (but usually wasn't), I had the pizza place around the corner on speed dial, and everything with sharp edges or rough corners was safely capped with something so I wouldn't hurt myself too badly.

This was great though.

Alice popped up next to my face. I jumped. "Jeez, Alice! You move like a ghost!"

She giggled. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention to your surroundings. How do you like your room?"

"It's nice," I admitted. Alice smiled slyly, like she was laughing at an inside joke.

"That's good," She said brightly, "because Rose and I are going to have a sleepover in here."

I had been zoning out a bit, so what she said broke me out of my lucid state. I stared at her in utter surprise. "Huh?" I asked like the genius I am.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Rose and I are staying in your room with you 'cause you're injured."

I glared at her. "There's no way you're gonna sleep on the floor. I won't let you."

"No, silly. We're not sleeping on the floor," she said.

Rosalie popped in the door, holding two rectangular bundles. "We're sleeping on air mattresses!"

I fell backwards onto my new bed and groaned. Let the torture begin.

**A/N I know this is sorta short. I didn't have a lot of time and school has been hectic. REVIEW IF YOU LOVE US!! Cause if you don't review our pre-frontal cortexes will explode and your non-rievew-i-ness will set the leftover pieces on fire. By the way…I checked the statistics for this story and, at the most recent look, there were 1,999 HITS!! OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!! I'm done now… **


	10. Chapter 10

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Ten

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

It was even worse than I thought it would be. Alice and Rosalie pumped up their air mattresses and threw a bunch of blankets on them before they attacked me. They stuck me in a pair of dark blue satin pajamas, which were a bit hard to put on due to the cast on my leg.

Then they shoved me through a door into a bathroom and pushed me into a chair in front of a vanity. Alice yanked my hand out and started filing my nails with a nail file that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Rosalie came up behind me and began brushing my hair out. If you've ever seen my hair, you would know it's a complete mess. I rarely remember to brush it in the morning and probably don't wash it enough. I usually put it back in a ponytail.

Alice switched hands, running around Rosalie to my other side. She filed those too and whisked out. She was back in a moment with a few bottles of nail polish. Eww. Rosalie pulled on my hair a little too hard.

"What color do you want, Bella?"

"The transparent kind." I answered sarcasm heavy on my voice.

"Red it is then." She continued, as though I hadn't spoken.

Rosalie started to do something to my hair. I instinctively jerked away. Rose rolled her eyes and started doing whatever she had been doing a second ago. Turned out she was braiding.

It was nearly an hour longer before they released me and allowed me to go to bed. I slept. And slept. And slept some more. I wasn't sure how long it had been, but it was a long time.

This was my way of making up for lost sleep. I go on a snooze binge. When I finally did wake up, it was dark. I maneuvered out of bed and stood up without further injury. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled my way out to the kitchen.

Esme was there, cooking something that smelled delicious. She must have glanced me from the corner of her eye because she turned around and smiled at me. "Hello, Bella. You're a little late fore dinner, but I saved you a plate. Are you feeling well?"

I took the plate she handed me. "Thanks, Esme. I'm fine, just a little sore."

"Well that's good. I believe that everyone else is out in the living room, except for Carlisle, who is probably in his office."

I walked out into the living room, using one hand to support myself with my crutch, and the other hand to carry the plate of spaghetti. Alice waved me over to the couch. I went over and sat down. Emmett and Jasper were on the floor playing video games, Alice and Rose on the couch, and Edward was sitting on the piano bench, his fingers dancing across the keys so softly that I couldn't hear it over the noise of Emmett and Jasper's video games.

"Hey Alice," I said.

"What's up, Bella?"

"The sky. The ceiling. Airplanes. The stratosphere,"

Alice cut me off. "Okay! I get it!"

'Geez, Bella. I never thought someone would say anything other than nothing in response to that question. What a literalist, you are." Rose said. I grinned. She was right. I took everything everyone said in a way to literal fashion, even if I knew the meaning of the expression.

Emmett guffawed, Jasper snorted, Alice laughed an enchanting little laugh, and Edward smiled. I stuck my feet out onto Emmett's shoulder, using him as a footrest as I ate my spaghetti. Maybe my feet are lucky, because Emmett won that round of racecar driving.

I finished my plate of sauce laden noodles, and got up to bring it back out to the kitchen, deliberately ignoring my crutch. Edward got up from his piano at the same moment. "I'll get it, Bella."

My chin stuck out a bit in stubbornness. "I can get it!"

"Fine. But I'm going with you."

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying a plate twelve yards into the kitchen!"

"You broke your leg!"

"You broke your brain!" They laughed. It was the first thing that popped into mind.

"I'm still coming with you."

"Fine!" I didn't want to admit defeat, but I was actually glad that he was coming with me, even if only thirty-six feet. I didn't need his help walking, even though I was even more susceptible to trip with the bulky cast. I enjoyed his company. But I would _never ever _admit that.

I set my plate in the dishwasher, a completely foreign concept, seeing as I had to wash dishes by hand. Edward followed behind me, his hands half outstretched to catch me if I fell. This was good, because I did fall. My left foot caught on the cast, and suddenly the floor was getting bigger. Edward's hands wrapped around my waist, holding me above the ground.

"Aren't you glad I'm here now?" He whispered in my ear. My face turned a lovely shade of tomato red as he pulled me back onto my feet and let go of my waist. We went back into the living room, and the rest of the night was quiet, at least until that genius by the name of Emmett decided to bring out the alcohol.

At first, no one would let me drink anything, which really pissed me off. But soon everybody except Edward was doing shots of whiskey. This gave me my golden opportunity. While Emmett wasn't looking, I grabbed his shot glass and tilted it into my mouth.

Edward saw (oops!) and glared at me as I stuck Emmett's glass back before he saw. I grinned and excused myself to bed. In the safety of my gorgeous, blue bedroom, I turned on whatever CD was in the stereo and plopped onto my bed.

I grabbed my ancient, battered copy of Wuthering Heights and read until I began to nod off, and slept for a long time.

When I woke up, the clock read five in the morning. Normally I would have hit myself with something for waking up this early, but today I just could not go back to sleep. So I wandered.

I walked down the stairs, and immediately heard a soft noise coming from the living room. A piano. Now who did I know that played piano? But my common sense couldn't make me ignore the beautiful noise emanating from the room.

I stood in the living room doorway, watching Edward Cullen play piano, the sun barely tipping over the horizon, illuminating his bronze hair and topaz eyes. I unconsciously licked my lips and shifted a bit on my feet.

He must have seen the tiny movement, because he looked up, his gaze automatically falling on me. I half smiled. His answer was something similar. I swallowed hard. He waved me over to the piano bench. I swallowed again and limped over to the bench. I sat down, quite close to Edward because the bench was pretty darn small.

"Do you play?" He asked quietly in his soft, melodic voice. I shook my head no and continued to watch his graceful fingers moving over the keys. The music was sweet, gentle, the kind of thing you wanted to go to sleep to every night.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. "This is amazing," I said without thinking.

He smiled. The sun finally rose over the horizon, shining on the world. My head had somehow come to rest on his shoulder. I was beginning to fall asleep. Edward's hand gently shaking arm woke me. I was still quite sleepy though. He swung me into his arms, bridal style, and carried me back to my bedroom, pulling back the covers and tucking me in.

The next time I woke up, I was pretty sure it was all a dream. But after I got up and started moving around my bedroom, trying to work out my leg, I found a blank CD next to my stereo. I stuck it in the CD player and hit play. Soft, sweet, gentle piano music floated out of the speaker.

I smiled and went out to the living room again.


	11. Chapter 11

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Ten

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The next week or so went by quickly. I got my cast off, ditched my crutches, and my elbow was finally healed. I was free! Or so I thought. I hadn't counted Alice and the rest of the Cullens into my plan.

On Monday, Alice caught my looking for and apartment, and completely flipped. "Bella! How could you?" She had semi-yelled/cried (she was sobbing!) "You can't leave! We like you here!"

At that point she threw herself on top of me and started crying into my shoulder. She started muttering and crying, "You can't leave, Bella. You can't leave…" Her eyes were all big and watery and I couldn't help myself. She was absolutely heartbreaking.

"Okay, Alice. I'll stay."

But that traitor told the others, and I was pelted with a zillion reasons to stay. "You have to help re-repair the Bugatti!" "I need your lucky feet to play video games and beat Jasper!" And on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

"We like having you here, Bella." That came from Edward, thus becoming about fifty percent of why exactly I'm staying. Eventually I just sort of screamed it at them…

"OKAY! I'M STAYING!!!" It was pretty damn loud.

And now I was here. Tomorrow I was allowed to start driving again. Carlisle, Alice, Edward and I were going out to a track to make sure I was well enough to drive. _Well enough to drive. _That meant that if I wasn't well enough, they were going to drop me, and I would end up bartending somewhere in Vegas.

We were going out to a dirt track in the desert. Thirty laps, no mishaps, and then we go down to a real track. Thirty laps in a Pinto. Now that was just humiliating. If I made it with that though, I get to play with the Ferrari.

So here we were, in the sweltering heat, Edward, Alice, and Carlisle about twenty yards from my track and me in a pinto. A frickin' pinto. Alice waved her hand, my signal to go, and I took off. At sixty. Then seventy. About twenty laps in, I was pushing eighty, just about as fast as I could get.

At thirty, I drifted into a couple donuts for my grand finale. "Can I go play with the Ferrari, now?" I yelled out the window. They laughed and we went out to a real track. The cement was reflecting the sunlight, bending it into waves that looked like vapor rising.

Alice loaded me into the car, and I was off. We were starting out slow; just fifty or so laps today. Carlisle was afraid of me over-exerting myself. I could have gone for hours, but no, Edward stuck me in the back of Carlisle's Mercedes next to Alice, and they drove me home.

After we got back, Alice dragged me to her room to show me some sketches she had made for my stock car. It was like most stock cars—sort of boxy, plenty of speed—and it was black, which was nice. Pink and aqua swirls ran up the sides.

The other one was the same car, but it was dark purple, with lime green and hot pink flames. Pretty damn cool. I was torn. Either way, Alice, Rosalie and I were going to end up painting it, and I didn't know which I liked better. I let Alice decide for me.

She said that the pink and green flames represented me better. I think she stole the idea from the drag car. A few days later they hauled my stock car in. It said Cullen Enterprises on the back in simple black lettering, and the car was white.

Edward and I went to a car store, one that I remembered as fairly decent. At least I thought so. I had been getting my parts from Jake for the past few years. And that gave me my idea. The paint they had wasn't what we were looking for.

So I told Edward, "I know a guy that can mix this great custom paint. He's a really close friend, and he'll do it for free."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Do you know how to get to South 18th Avenue? Just west of Alkire Park?"

"Sure."

"Then let's go."

When we arrived at Jake's shop, he was under some piece of crap Toyota. I thumped my hand on the car's hood, and Jake scooted out from under the vehicle. When he saw me, he immediately sat up, and hit himself on the head.

"Ow! Shit. Oh, Hey Bells. Haven't seen ya in a while. Um, how's it going? You need something? Ow."

I laughed. "Hey Jake. This is Edward," I pointed to Edward. "This is Jacob. We need you to mix some paint."

"Sure. No problem. I can do that right now actually. Just—come…over her." He picked his way out of all the greasy icky car parts and went over to a big corner with a shelf of paint. "Um, what colors did you need?"

I handed him the color swatches Alice gave us for our Mission Impossible. She had designed them on the computer, manipulating samples of other colors to get the shade she wanted. "Hmm. I can do this. When do you need it?"

"Soon."

"It'll be done by four."

"Thanks, Jake!" I hugged him and kissed his cheek before we left. I saw Edward glowering at him as we left. I didn't get it.

"So how long have you known Jacob?" He sounded like an overprotective dad.

"Ever since I moved to Forks. Our dads were friends, and with the whole common interest in cars, we grew close. I moved to Phoenix to work in his shop while I worked at getting signed for a sponsor."

"Oh." He looked contemplative.

Later that evening, Alice practically went crazy when she saw the colors. "Oh my god, Bella! This is so perfect! It's going to be great. Tomorrow we can start painting! How did you get these colors?"

"I had a friend mix them for me."

"That's so cool!"

A few hours later I went to bed, but I couldn't get Edward's face out of my head.


	12. Chapter 12

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Eleven

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I woke to Alice jumping on my bed yelling at me to get up. "C'mon Bella, we got to go paint your car!"

"I'm up, I'm up…" I groaned. I kept having these dreams that involved Edward in one way or another…which was very, very bad! He is my employer's son!

Alice tossed something on my bed and sprinted out of the bedroom. It was a pair of tattered overalls that had been in my closet back at my apartment, but mysteriously disappeared after I came here.

I put those on over a blue shirt and jeans, then stuffed my feet into a pair of boots and followed Alice's rapidly fading footsteps out the back door. I saw her running toward a huge outbuilding dressed more or less like I was.

"Come _on_, Bella. You're a slowpoke!" I broke into a jog and followed her through a door into a separate garage. My car was there, on top of a huge tarp, with separate bottles of paint and stuff on one side.

Rosalie was already there, taping off the windows with newspaper. I smiled at her and Alice, unusually peppy for so early in the morning without my cup of coffee. They smiled back, and Alice showed me how she had outlined where we were going to paint on the car.

"You see, this part right here is gonna be green, and right there is pink, then everything else is going to be purple. Just like the design. We're each going to have a different color. You're doing green, I'm pink, and Rose is purple. Each area has been sectioned off so we won't get in each other's ways. So we'll be painting the flames."

She started jumping up and down, and I laughed. Rose handed me a can of paint and gave Alice a 'you're-crazy-but-I-love-you-anyway' smile that you sometimes give family members. We started working on the car, and before long we were joking and laughing and talking. It had become a bonding moment.

The subject of (shudder) high school came up, and all the _really _funny stories came out. Alice had socked this huge jock guy in the face when he touched her ass, which I found absolutely hilarious, tiny Alice punching someone, like, say, Emmett.

Rosalie was really pretty, which led to a whole lot of date offers, the kind of thing I had never gotten. The most humorous rejection was when this bratty jock (the same one that touched Alice's ass, I found out) asked her out in the middle of the cafeteria, and Rose said, quote on quote—"I'd rather date a corpse." Then later, after she started dating Emmett, the same guy asked her out again, and Emmett tied him to their school's flagpole.

"So what's your funniest high school moment?" Alice asked, working on a green flame.

"I didn't have a lot of funny ones. I mean…I accidentally hit a Toyota once…because it belonged to a football jerk that publicly insulted me…but that was an accident…" Alice laughed so hard she started snorting.

I was done with two of my five flames when Jasper came in. "Hey girls. We were planning a night out. Want to come?"

That was all the encouragement we needed. Alice and Rose dragged me up the stairs to Rose's room, and began thumbing through all the dresses on one rack. "Rose, none of your stuff will fit her, she's too short. I think I know exactly what she needs! I'll be right back!"

Alice darted off to another room, and Rose stuck me in a chair in front of a bathroom counter. When did we come into the bathroom? She grabbed a curling iron out of a drawer and plugged it in. While she was waiting for it to heat, she started to comb out the tangles in my hair.

Alice rushed back in holding three dresses. "Rose—here you go. Do you think this would work?" She held out a floor length strapless blood red dress with a slit up the side.

"I would never mistrust your fashion expertise, Alice." She joked.

"And I grabbed this one for me—how does it look?" A dark blue dress with spaghetti straps and a silver stripe on the side. It would look adorable on her. "And for Bella."

Wow. I mean, holy shit. I had never worn something so nice in my life. It too, was strapless with a slit up the side, black, with a rose and vine print up the side, and it looked like it could do some serious clinging.

Alice saw my face and laughed. Rose started curling my hair, and then ran her finger through it, separating the curls. Alice did Rose's and my makeup. Rose was wearing dark brown eyeliner that made her blue eyes pop and fire-engine red lipstick a few shades brighter than her dress.

Mine was simple, just black eyeliner that extended a bit more than my usual and dark burgundy lipstick. No eyeshadow or blush or powder or any of the other crap that she put on Rose. That's just not for me.

She stuck us both in our dresses and then climbed in her own, using the same eye makeup she used on Rose and light pink lip gloss. She grabbed Rose a pair of black stilettos and stuck her own feet in a glittery silver pair that matches her dress. She paused for a moment at my feet, and then seemed to have a brilliant idea of some sort.

"I'll be back in just a second," she said, then sprinted off somewhere. She came back a few seconds later with a pair of high heeled combat boots that I recognized from my closet. "These are absolutely perfect Bella!"

Rose came back (when did she leave?) with a big box that clanked when it shifted. Jewelry. Gulp. Alice and Rose thumbed through it while I sat carefully on the chair, trying not to wrinkle my dress. Rose resurfaced with a gold chain with a garnet charm, and matching earrings. Alice looked at me speculatively.

She grabbed another chain, this one silver with a tiny sapphire charm. It matched her dress perfectly. "Hmm. I don't know what would work on you Bella. Do you have any necklaces?"

I admitted that I did. "A few."

Alice was up and dragging me toward my room before I could protest. "C'mon Bells. Show me what you got. I took her over to the tiny cardboard box that I kept jewelry in, and let her look through it. She gasped then pulled something out.

It was a black lace motif threaded onto a ribbon, a present from my mom when she went through her arts and crafts phase. "Oh my gosh, Bella. This is perfect! I have earrings that would be great with this." She shoved it into my hand and sprinted off again, to return a few seconds later with a pair of vintage earrings, the kind that dangled and had that old fashioned looking filigree on it.

Even I had to admit that the whole effect was gorgeous. Alice ran back to Rose's room and helped her with hair and whatnot, and then we paraded down the stairs, already consumed by that giggly bubbly glee that overtakes you when you go out on a Saturday night.

Emmett, Jasper and Edward were all waiting down stairs for us. Rose and Alice both went over to their respective partners and I was stuck standing next to Edward, rather awkward. Hehe…yeah. I caught the look on his face…wow. That was a big dose of instant gratification.

Alice and Jasper rode in Alice's Porsche, while Rose and Emmett took Rose's BMW. I saw Alice shoot me a meaningful look and wiggle her eyebrows before climbing into the passenger seat. I glared at her.

Edward smiled and said, "Shall we?"

"We shall," I said, mirroring his tone. He smiled and held the door open with a sweeping bow, looking like quite the old world gentleman. Anyone else who did that would either look like an idiot or just plain tacky, but when Edward Cullen did that, it was cute.

He handed me into the Volvo as though it were and eighteenth century carriage and closed the door behind me before getting into the driver's seat and following Alice's Porsche. About fifteen minutes later we arrived at a club that I had passed a thousand times, but never really looked at.

I wasn't exactly the clubbing type, but hey. Whatever. I'm open to new things. Edward opened my door for me again and pulled me out. We followed Jasper and Alice into the club. Edward didn't let go of my hand. I sure didn't mind.

The bouncer carded me, but waved the Cullens in. They must come here frequently. We went in. It was loud. Music was pulsing throughout the entire room, shaking the floor almost. It was packed. Edward walked in front of me, still holding my hand and pulling me along with him.

He guided me through the cramped room with the ease of someone who knows exactly where they're going. We ended up at the bar, sitting between Rose and some guy I had never even seen before. Edward ordered some drink I didn't recognize—a 'skittle' or something. I thought Skittles were a kind of candy.

He looked at me expectantly, and I ordered a glass of Merlot. I knew what that was. I saw Rose sipping something out of a highball glass, and Emmett drinking a beer next to her. The bartender, a tall olive skinned man, grinned at me and gave me my wine.

I sipped it out of the glass slowly. I love a glass of good wine. My alcohol consumption is mostly limited to cheap beer, rum and coke, or the occasional shot of peach flavored Schnapps. Yum. Alice got off her stool and ended up dragging Jasper with her.

She was quite clearly drunk. "Come on Bella! Come out…on the floor and dance! It'll be so much fun!" She was slurring, and I couldn't help but be glad that Jasper had a firm grip on her waist.

I waved to her, and she turned around and melted into the group of dancing people. Edward chuckled quietly next to me. "What's so funny?"

"Alice will be. She's a riot when she's drunk. It'll get worse as the night progresses. Jasper'll keep an eye on her," he said, seeing my face.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to get another drink."

And I did. I got one of those things Edward ordered—a skittle. It was good. Turns out that it was basically a bunch of drinks mixed together. Two turned in to three—a gin and tonic, then something in a shot glass. And before long, I was drunker than Alice.

**Edward's POV (Yes! You **_**are **_**reading correctly! I decided to give Edward's side of Bella's Drunkenness!) **

Bella was drunk. And I thought _Alice _was crazy when she was buzzed. Bella tried to get off her stool, and tripped. Over air. I grabbed her around the waist and held her up. "Thanks you." She was slurring her speech, and all proper grammar had abandoned her.

"Ready to go, Bells?" I asked into her ear. It was the only way she would be able to hear me. She turned around and looked quite outraged, her face over-animated by liquor. "Of course I don't wanna go back to home yet! I wasn't fin—finished yet!"

She kept tripping, and she couldn't quite walk a straight line. "Bella, I think I ought to take you home."

"Just one dance? Please?" She looked up at me with big brown puppy dog eyes, and I caved.

"Okay. Just one though, all right?" She nodded and grabbed my hand, pulling me out onto the dance floor. It turns out that Bella's one dance was to a slow song, the kind you danced to in a couple.

She abruptly turned around and faced me. "You said I could have one dance," she reminded me. She wasn't the most graceful dancer, especially since she was drunk, but it was amazing just to feel her arms around my neck.

I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and we swayed to the music for a few moments. After a few more seconds, I put my chin down on top of her head. Her cheek was pressed into the hollow above my collar bone.

The song was over too fast. I took Bella's hand and led her out to the car. She seemed unhappy to leave, but I didn't want her to hurt herself. Because, knowing Bella, she would. I opened the car door for her, and made sure she buckled her seatbelt before getting into the driver's seat and starting the car.

We were out of the parking lot and back home within five minutes. I helped Bella out of the car, and, supporting her with a hand around her waist, opened the door. I helped her to her room and stuck her in the bed. She mumbled a quiet goodnight and I kissed her on the forehead before running back to my bedroom.

I mused over Bella, past girlfriends, and romance in general while I took a really, really cold shower. Before moving to Phoenix, we had lived in a little town up in Alaska. There was a girl named Tanya that worked at a favorite restaurant of mine. We became close friends, and eventually I asked her out to dinner.

It was nice for a while. Tanya a nice, pretty, and sweet. Every guy's dream girl. The problem with Tanya was that she had no limits. She would call me twice an hour and plan a date even when she knew I had something to do.

She became really paranoid and I eventually broke it off. For a long time after, I didn't date at all because even though she was annoying as hell, Tanya felt like my soul mate or whatever you want to call it. But now that I had met Bella, I was questioning all of that.

I liked her—as in more than I should. She was basically my dad's employee, for lack of a better term. So now what? I could accidentally ruin her career if I wasn't careful. If Carlisle didn't like us as a couple, her contract was gone.

But she was practically a part of the family already. She may as well have been. She was certainly a sister to Alice and Rose, and a little sister for Emmett and Jasper to annoy and get all protective over. Alice threw a hissy fit when she thought Bella might be leaving. Esme was super happy at having another kid, and Esme being happy made Carlisle happy.

Okay, that wasn't an issue. But what about Bella herself? Did she like me the same way I liked her? And what if she didn't? Then…living in the same house would be awkward, if not impossible, and Bella would move out and find another apartment, and Alice would never forgive me.

So what could I do? There was only one thing to do, really. I ignore it. I would pretend to be the same as ever, like I had not had some sort of epiphany that forced me to admit that I liked Bella more than I should. It wasn't hard at all, however, to say that I hated her friend, Jacob.

Perhaps it was because he had known her for so long. Perhaps it was because it was so obvious that he liked her as much as I did. Perhaps it was because he had a chance with her. So now what? What next? How am I going to deal? I can pretend, and I'm a good liar, but really, this is _Bella. _

How is it that I can lie to my friends and family, even myself, but I can't lie to a beautiful girl I met a few months ago? How can someone have this big of an effect on me? I don't get it. Life makes no sense.


	13. Chapter 13

Racing Your Heart

Chapter Twelve

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

**Bella's POV**

I woke up with a really bad hangover, in a dress about eight inches shorter than what I normally wore. I didn't remember much of last night…it was sort of hazy after that last shot. I vaguely remembered begging Edward for a dance…and dancing, which could have been a disaster, but miraculously wasn't. And then…a rather foggy ride home, and falling asleep in the car. How did I get back to my room?

I looked at the clock. It was eleven. Surprisingly early after such a late night. I crawled out of bed and took a quick shower, washing my face of all makeup and changing into cotton shorts and a dark blue tank top.

My hair was still semi-curly when I woke up, but the shower had turned it straight again, and now it was soaking the back of my shirt. I wandered out into the kitchen, not turning the lights on. My head still hurt. I drank a cup of coffee, leaving it black.

Alice padded out in a fluffy blue robe, her black hair even messier than normal. She gave me a half smile and poured a cup of orange juice. We sat down at the kitchen table.

"Did you have fun last night?" She asked quietly. Probably so our heads wouldn't hurt more.

"Yeah. I don't normally go to clubs."

"You don't?"

"I usually prefer to drink at home. Or with friends."

"Can you mix drinks?"

"Yeah. I make a mean margarita. And I can open beer bottles. I used to make drinks at New Year's parties…"

Alice grinned. "I always liked popping the bottle of champagne."

"On Super Bowl Sunday, I used to shake up all the sodas and watch everyone open them. Same concept applies for New Year's parties."

Alice shook her head and smiled. "Only you, Bella. So when did you get home?"

"Late," I answered immediately. "Or early. Sometime after midnight and before six. And you?"

"Ah. Um…sometime around…I don't know. Four, maybe? I was pretty drunk…"

"Same here. I don't normally drink that much."

Alice grinned. "I do."

"Do you guys frequent that club, then? The bouncer didn't card you."

"Yeah. They love us there."

"Mmm." Conversation ceased. Then, wonder of all wonders, Rosalie walks out! Wow, we have us a little three-way hangover par-tay going' on!

"Hey guys."

Alice and I grunted in response. Rose poured herself a cup of coffee and came over to join our hangover festival. We were having _so_ much fun. Can't you tell?

We grumbled and drank fluids and felt sorry for ourselves, because hangovers have a way of making you do that. Welcome to the pity party, everybody! I should have brought hats. I was close to passing out over my cup of coffee by noon.

I was sort of slumped over on the table, feeling like crap, and very close to downing five ibuprofen and half a bottle of Nyquil so I could pass out again. I stared into my cup of coffee. The caffeine was supposed to wake me up. It succeeded. Now I want to turn it into cheesecake flavored coffee.

The dark pool of bitter liquid stared back at me. The smooth surface vibrated suddenly when Alice put her cup back on the table. I could see my reflection in it. My face wavered. That was sort of a funny sensation. I looked up again. Esme kept the kitchen immaculate and well decorated.

The walls were white, much like the tile. The countertops were white and gray marble, and all the appliances were white, too. There were blue hand towels near the sink, and nice little framed prints of fruit and crap on the walls. A dark blue clock hung on one wall, one of those circular ones like they have in 50s themed diners.

It was pretty. I downed the rest of my coffee and put the cup in the dishwasher. I could never afford a dishwasher. I always did my dishes by hand. It still felt funny to use one of them. I walked back up to my room, with every intention of passing out, when I ran into Edward.

He had bed head—when _I_ woke up with bed head, I looked like shit. When Edward woke up with bed head, he looked drop dead gorgeous. He looked at me with warm, honey colored eyes. I swallowed. "Oh—um, hello?" It came out as a question. He laughed a deep sound that warmed me to the very bone marrow.

"Good afternoon, Bella."

His voice was as warm as his eyes. "Good afternoon, to you too. Um…how are you?" It came out awkwardly.

"Good. And you?"

"Um…Good."

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then he walked around me, back to whatever he was doing. I shook my head and went back to my room. And then I tried to sleep for a while. But it's kind of hard to sleep when a pair of the most gorgeous golden eyes are burned into your retinas.

When I woke up the second time, I was thinking about smoke and twisted metal. My accident hadn't left me totally unscarred. I still had nightmares every now and then. I rolled out of bed for the second time today, looking at the clock again. It was eight.

I wandered out into the living room, and found Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward watching a movie. Everybody was eating pizza, which suddenly looked really good. "There's more in the kitchen, Bells," Emmett said around a huge bite.

I gave him a half smile and went back to the kitchen, dropping two slices on a paper plate. I sat on the ground next to Alice. "Extra cheese—hangover helper." She stage-whispered to me. I shook my head and laughed.

Keeping with the stage whispering, I asked, "What movie?"

"Emmett and Jasper wanted to watch Saw, but we convinced them to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, instead."

"Aw. I like Saw."

"Maybe tomorrow we can have a horror movie marathon. You know of any good ones?"

"The Final Destination movies, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre…um…Signs is pretty good. Stephen King's Carrie, Pet Sematery. There are a lot of good Stephen King movies."

"All of his new books suck."

"Ever since his car accident. We should watch Cugo. I read the first thirty pages of that book when I was seven. It gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Geez, Bella. How do you know of so many horror movies?" That was Emmett.

"The product of a very slow social life."

That got a few laughs. I half-watched the movie. When it was over, Alice suddenly shouted, "Let's go to the video store!" Then started jumping around like a deranged pixie on steroids. Or pixie stix. Oh my god, I love those stupid things…

So our deranged little pixie on steroids loaded us into a minivan, and drove to Hollywood Video. I had passed the store a thousand times, but never gone in. I get my movies from Walmart. Alice giggled like the demented little girl she was, and coaxed us all out of the car and into the video store.

She shouted at us, saying that everybody had to choose a horror movie and meet back at the front of the store in six minutes. I grabbed _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. It's a good movie, it really is. They did a good job with the special effects…the whole bloody torture thing and all…

I met back with Alice, who was jumping up and down, clutching _the Ring_. "Bella, Bella! Is this any good? I read the back and it seemed like it was good!"

"_The Ring_? It's not bad. Not the best in the world, but it's good."

Emmett came back next, holding _Saw IV_. I grinned. Rosalie wandered over with Stephen King's _It_. Jasper and Edward came back together, Jasper with _Signs_ and Edward with _the Exorcist._ Haha. Flying green goop. Most hilarious movie ever.

Alice paid for our movies with a credit card. Whoa. Who pays for a few videos with plastic? Well…they're a whole lot wealthier than I ever was. We loaded back into the van, and Alice drove home like a madwoman.

I leaned over toward Edward (who was sitting next to me. It took all I had not to hyperventilate) and whispered, "Is she on drugs? Or expresso?" He choked on a laugh.

"I heard that!" Alice yelled back at me. But she didn't really sound angry. I grinned at her in the mirror.

"Are we really gonna watch all of these tonight?" Emmett asked.

"Of course we are! It's not even late, yet!" Then Alice gave an insane little giggle and stepped down harder of the gas pedal.

We were home in minutes, and then tiny little Alice on heroin dragged everybody back to the living room. We put on Stephen King's _It_ first. I had already seen the movie, so I volunteered to make popcorn. They had a real popcorn kettle, which was awesome.

I put the recommended amount of oil in the base, and plugged it in. I cool hand gave me the bag of kernels. I looked up into a pair of golden eyes and swallowed. "Thanks."

I measured out the kernels and popped them into the pan, then put the cover back over it. It would take a few minutes for it to start popping. "Do you know how to melt butter?" I asked Edward.

He nodded and went to the fridge. I watched the two blades spinning the popcorn kernels. They began to explode and turn into popcorn. Edward turned on a burner and began melting the butter. I watched him from the corner of my eye.

When the butter was melted and the popcorn was popped and buttered and salted, we went back out to the living room. It hadn't taken as long as I felt it did. Pennywise the evil clown was luring Georgie into the drain. I said the line with him.

"They all float down here, Georgie. They all float. And when you're down here, you'll float too!" It had taken years, but I had the Pennywise voice down to a T. Alice laughed, and Emmett snorted Cola out his nose. I sat down on the couch, wedged between Rosalie and Edward.

Sometime around three, towards the middle of _The Ring_, I passed out on Edward's shoulder. What felt like only a second or two later, a hand was gently shaking me. "Bella? Bella, wake up."

I grumbled and moaned, but eventually came into a state of semi-consciousness. I was aware of Edward wrapping his arm around my waist and helping me to my room, in the back corner of my mind, but for whatever reason, I just could not wrap my mind around that.

And maybe I was dreaming, but I could have sworn that I felt his lips brush against my forehead before I went to sleep. But I was probably just imagining things.

The next morning, we finished painting my stock car. A good thing, because I had my first official race next week. I was excited and nervous and ecstatic all at the same time. And it did not create a pleasant feeling in my stomach.

The rest of the week went by rather quickly. We watched more scary movies, I read a lot, and Edward and I fell into a polite pattern. That alone was infuriating. I drove a lot of laps, anger making me push my freshly painted stock car faster and faster.

Alice was there all the freakin' time, cheering me on, and freakishly happy to the point where her cheer occasionally leaked into _me._ And yes, it scared the crap out of me. Carlisle was excessively happy to be sponsoring me. My times were improving.

And then came the race. I was put toward the back. I gave Alice a little wave because she was bouncing around in her seat. And then the green flag dropped.


End file.
